Hello everyone, I am a complete NOOB when it come to this so please be gentle! I have never rock climbed or been up a mountain in my life. I live in Florida, so I am pretty sure you get the point. I am not getting any younger and would like to start checking things off my bucket list. The main thing I would like to do is the 7 summits. Now I know this is no easy task that I have set before me. What I am asking is for a starting point in my quest. I have been looking for a traning program and some instruction (or instructors) to get me off the couch and heading in the right direction. So any help would be greatly welcomed. Everyone had to start some where. I just want to start in the right place and not blindfolded. Stay safe! Jarrod fireman216

fireman216 wrote:...The main thing I would like to do is the 7 summits.

Now you've opened a can of worms. Do lots of other mountaineering first. Don't be the gumby putting your crampons on upside down at the base of Everest.

Think endurance and pain management. Do hills and stairs and long death marches with a 60lb pack on. Tons of elevation and plodding. Being able to handle long approaches is gold. Fill your pack with weight all wrong so that's it awkward and imbalanced.

Interesting post here...2 guys climbed with a guide in ouray to work on their technique, one of who just climbed everest to complete the 7 summits.http://www.ourayiceclimbing.blogspot.com/Seems odd that you are learning to ice climb after you've done them...

RBlackJr wrote:I need to start doing something. I haven't been active for a couple years now and I need to get back in the game. I'm looking for a Training Program to get me started..... Anyone have any suggestions?

Read Born to Run, then start running on trails. For incentive, sign up for a trail-running competition two or three months down the road. It is a fantastic way to achieve cardiovascular fitness and if you need it, weight reduction, too.

I used to run upward 7-8 kllometres and back for 5 years. This made me prepared for long distance hiking. Unfortunately I wouldn`t do it any more because of overtraining which caused arthritis in my knees. We must be careful.

For all you that are looking for a type of training regiment for hiking/climbing...of course, there is really no better way to prepare for hiking/climbing other than going out and "hiking/climbing" imo. Unfortunately, that's not always an option, especially for us "sea levelers" with jobs/kids/time issues/family commitments/etc...but what else I found great success with is P90X/P90X2/Insanity/etc...lots of core stuff, great for strengthening legs/upper body and endurance (there is even a drill called "mountain climber" for Pete's sake) in Insanity/Asylum...tip top training and you never have to leave your house.

I have used several of these programs and incorporated them in my training for a successful Mt Whitney one day summit last year and tackling several 14ers this year!

Maybe I could be a help with some training specifics tailored toward your goals,

I agree concerning those living in flatland areas, near sea level, with some limited free time. The Insanity/P90X workouts are very effective, or just a self-made workout based on the same principles. Lots of squats, lunges, jumps for the lower body. Lots of crunches and leg kicks/raises for the core. Lots of push-ups and curls for the upper body. Stretching afterwards. You will be very lean and fit, which is a necessity for climbing to any significant elevations. Obviously, you'll need to get a lot of actual hiking and mountaineering under your belt on smaller mountains first.

bird wrote:Interesting post here...2 guys climbed with a guide in ouray to work on their technique, one of who just climbed everest to complete the 7 summits.http://www.ourayiceclimbing.blogspot.com/Seems odd that you are learning to ice climb after you've done them...